Getting Started

So you want to break into the video game industry (you want a game biz job). First, you have to know which type of job you want -- if you don't know which you want, you need to read about the game industry and the types of jobs in it. Then you might need to make a decision. Third, you need to be qualified for the job. Fourth, you need to know how to find information and how to ask good questions (you need to not ask bad questions). Finally, we have tips for getting the job.

I am basically asking for either a review or advice regarding the attendance of the Master's in Game Design program at Full Sail and it's potential for hirability. Sloper, I have read your entire site but I still have to ask this and hope you'll reply :)
I recently graduated from a local university with a Bachelors of Science in Communications. I have not been able to get a job relating to my field but am currently working as an office manager of a small electrical company.
I am extremely passionate about games and feel that working in that industry is the only way I'll achieve long term happiness. However, I am not very artistically inclined or compelled by programming; though, my degree provided me with graphic design experience. My degree also provided me with film production, television production, PR, acting, creative writing, scriptwriting, and directorial experience.
Upon viewing gaming job options, I felt that production would be the best field for me. The question of how best to enter this field still remains.
The Full Sail Master of Game Design is focused on the production element of the industry and lists that it prepares you for a career as:
Assistant Producer
Associate Producer
Development Director
Development Manager
Junior Designer
Localization Producer
Producer
Project Lead
Project Manager
QA Lead
Studio Director
So would this degree really give me hirability for what I'm wanting or would it be a huge waste of money without other game industry skills and experience. Do entry level positions for production and management even exist?
Thanks for your time
Sincerely,
Anthony

The problem is that most, if not all, of these positions are positions that are usually hired internally or if not, they're looking for people with years of production experience. You don't generally get into these positions without having done something else first, and you've already dismissed two of the most obvious ways in: art and programming.

So with those two aside, your next best bets are level design and QA, neither of which are going to come any easier for this program. Getting a job in QA is mostly about luck and trying hard for a long time, and level design is an area where a lot of "outsiders" are picked up for their demonstrable skills. Having this course on your CV for these jobs you might make you look enthusiastic, but it's a lot of money and hard work to make you look enthusiastic, n'est ce pas?

So I'd say your best bet is to knock on doors until you can get a foot in the door in QA - but be prepared for a salary nosedive, or if you fancy level design (which is something quite different from graphic design) then work on a mod. An awful lot of people got hired as level designers from working on mods.

Anthony wrote, after presumptuously calling me by my last name as if we were old Frat buddies or something,

>I recently graduated from a local university with a Bachelors of Science in Communications. >my degree provided me with graphic design experience. My degree also provided me with film production, television production, PR, acting, creative writing, scriptwriting, and directorial experience.